Community is a great thing, especially Christian community.  We really do need each other, to lift each other up and give encouragement.  Tasks that only one person can’t do, a group of many can do easily.  Yet, a community can’t save anyone.  As great as our leaders are, individuals must make decisions for themselves.  God is not a puppet-master, and we are not puppets.  We are sons and daughters with the ability to make powerful decisions.  When testing comes(and it will), we each have the responsibility to make right choices.

An old pastor of mine once told me that he believes a lack of self-control is the number one issue facing the Church today.  From what I’ve seen, I believe it’s pretty high up there.  The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches us self-control.  If we’re relying on our knowledge, our intellectual tact, we will fail.  Self-control is a dynamic series of right decisions we have to make every single day, and successful execution of that control (fruit) will only manifest from the close personal relationship we each have with God.

Deep down inside ourselves, we have an internal structure called character.  That character is tested, tried and grown through conflict and glory, and it gets stronger every step of the way.  Every act done in faith is nourishment.  Every heart-cry of love is a stepping stone.  Every testimony of God’s grace further solidifies that truth we hold in our deepest part.

As we grow in maturity, our inner man becomes mighty.  Our goal as believers is to grow up into the image of Christ.  We must be people completely confident in who we are, knowing our God-given authority, character, responsibility and love.  So as a family of brothers and sisters, we move forward.  At the end of the age, we will truly be the spotless bride of Christ.

“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?  ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’”–Hebrews 12:4-6

Who knew that the fulfillment of that vision would come just one day later, on New Year’s Day, 2012.  I had just driven home after a glorious weekend of fun.  It was Sunday night, and it was time for a good night’s rest.  I found a great parking place, just across the street from my house.  After waiting a few seconds to soak in a few more notes of music from my radio, I shut off the engine and went to the back seat.  I pulled out everything that had sustained me over the weekend: my sleeping bag and pillow, my unused change of clothes in my duffel, my book bag with Bible inside, leftover salmon and green beans from New Year’s lunch.  Taking them all to the door, I remembered one thing I had missed.  I went back to my car, grabbed my jacket and locked the doors, not realizing that my keys were sitting in the back seat.  I had locked myself out.

Upon discovering my mistake, I quickly called my roommate.  I had an extra car key in my room, so I wasn’t worried about calling a locksmith or anything drastic like that.  I just had to wait for my roommate to come home.  So I waited.  I found myself sitting on my front step next to a pile of luggage and bedding.  It was dark, but the street lights illuminated the DC street.  I looked up and saw the trees, a few leaves still remaining, clutching the branches tightly as the strong breeze danced through them.  I remembered my message from the night before.  How interesting, I thought, that I might witness the exact thing which last night had seemed so unlikely.

I watched and waited.  One minute turned into two, which turned into three.  Minute after minute, my expectancy grew, but the orange leaves continued to hold on.  They were the strong ones, the last few remaining after one long year.  I continued to sit in peace, the fifty-five degree air cooling my lungs while the Spirit soothed my soul.  Finally, gloriously, a sizable gust shook the branches, and several cold leaves drifted to the street below like a curtain of natural confetti.  I became a witness to the fulfillment of a dream.

That was just the first day of 2012.  What more does this year have for all of us?  What promises will be fulfilled?  If January first was any indication, I believe we are in store for incredible things.

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so.”–Genesis 1:14-15

Recently, my heart has been kindled anew with a holy desire for conformity.  You see, there is a man, a new man, who is me.  God created me with gifts, talents and purposes.  I want to know those things and mature in them.  I was created to be like God in holiness and righteousness.  It’s already been birthed in me.  The more I conform to those ways, that brilliance, the very image of Christ, the more fulfilled I am.  It’s the way I was designed!

Rebellion is a very subtle spirit.  It gives false promises it never keeps.  It silently whispers, “This is a good thing.  This is fun.  This will help you,” while step-by-faltering-step it leads you away from the heart of God.  What futility of mind is that deception!  We must cast that thing far away if our desire is for true greatness.  Every hint must be removed.

It takes a lot of humility to submit ourselves to God, to surrender to His will.  Honestly, it takes a complete laying down of our lives.  But I am sure we’ll find, after all the death that must happen, that this new life in Christ is infinitely more glorious than anything we have ever dreamed.  What depths of love and peace and joy are there to be discovered!  I will declare that my glory is His glory!  All my love belongs to Him!

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”–Ephesians 4:15-16

I’ve been thinking about another wedding: the great day when Jesus comes back to His pure Bride.  I am a part of that Bride.  My worth is measured by the value the Groom places on me.  In this marriage of earth and Heaven, all the angels look at Jesus and ask, “What is this woman worth?”  They see the answer in His tender touch, the kindness in His eyes, His words of love.  On the other side of the aisle, all of the earth asks the Church, “What is this man worth to you?”  They look for the evidence: the faith we have put in Him.

What kind of beautiful dress have we put on?  Have we become righteous?  The point of throwing off those filthy rags, repenting of sin and living in truth and love is much more than just getting tickets to Heaven.  We are literally becoming more beautiful every day, more worthy to be called the Bride of Christ.  I want to be around the ones who are serious about this beautification process.  Together, we can collect the bows, the lace, the fabric.  The most beautiful man in the universe is to be ours forever, and we are to be the most beautiful bride.

“‘Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; is was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’–for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”–Revelation 19:7-8

I want the best.  I want good music.  I believe that music can absolutely be well-produced, well-written and filled with holiness all at the same time.  It doesn’t have to be a “Christian” copy of some secular trend.  It doesn’t even have to be popular, but it has to be powerful.

Creativity is an incredible gift that is so often wasted.  I hope to live a life that calls out, with clarity and excellence, the pure songs of my heart.  I want to inspire the people around me to do the same!  We won’t write music glorifying selfishness or pride or promiscuity.  We have been destined to glorify our Creator by doing the same thing He does: creating beautiful things.

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”–Psalm 92:1

Every crunchy footfall is a catalyst to a misty shell;
As sunbeams sparkle in the ice and air,
They whisper the blinding, twinkling truth.
Joy exists in the coldest of temperatures.

Oh winter, my close companion!
How graciously you have come,
With such bonhomie!
So innocent is the dance of light you bring.

“From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?”–Job 38:29

Oh children, the Kingdom is yours!
The words of God are purified silver
Darkness exalts itself, but
The words of love rise much higher

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 5:3

“But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”–Luke 5:38

Who in the world has the hope of eternal life?  It’s not just any life.  It is full of glory, the ecstasy of delight, the wealth of the King.  Who in this world can claim such mercy and grace?  My God will demolish demonic strongholds to make room for righteousness.  There’s no other way.  It’s been planned out, and I am a part of it!  In every way, the amazing exploits I do are components of His grand Kingdom scheme.

Hope is contagious.  The truth is, this world doesn’t have to be lost.  There is more than enough hope for every creature.  My God is the God of eternal restoration.  He creates things new again.  When that word is broadcast, who knows what will happen!  I’m expecting so much good, because Jesus is perfectly good.  He is only righteous.

Evil will soon be gone, my friends: poverty, famine, disease–everything that sin produces.  We are free.  We’ve tasted life.  It’s never going to stop as long as our hope remains.  It always will.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”–Romans 15:13

Picture this: on the only highway to the capital city, two semi trucks flip over, completely blocking the way.  There’s fire, explosions and carnage everywhere!  Everyone who’s coming after them has to stop, or risk their own destruction.  The traffic jam begins, and every vehicle following those trucks is cursed with an indefinite delay.  Not even one can reach its destination.  Traffic backs up for hundreds upon thousands of miles, and everyone is sick of the sounds of idling engines, blaring horns and a certain amount of cursing.

Then something amazing happens.  The way is cleared completely.  Some people begin to see, but most don’t believe it.  Even the ones in the front deny it.  “Don’t you know?” they say.  “We’re stuck!  There was a major accident, you know, with fire and everything!”  They fail to see the one lane steadily moving towards the horizon.  From the back of the pack, it’s still slow going most of the time.  Some cars are abandoned, their drivers long since venturing into dark woods in search of another way around.  But the ones who know, who have their smart phones running the right app, are making it.

There are sounds of joy and celebration coming from over there.  A Message is shouted.  Can it be true?  Can our troubles finally be over?  In fact, they are.  We move forward with joyful expectation, armed with the truth that what was blocking our way has been completely removed.  It may be a hard road ahead, but we are entirely confident that nothing can ever keep us from our Destiny again.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”–Romans 8:1-2